Access2VLS Need-Based Grants

Through the generosity of Vanderbilt Law alumni, VLS provides innovative Access2VLS need-based grants to entering J.D. students with demonstrated financial need for tuition funding. During the 1L admission process, we consider admitted students for VLS merit scholarships based on their individual applications relative to other admitted candidates, and in a separate, subsequent process, we allocate Access2VLS grants to those with demonstrated tuition-need defined as tuition costs not covered by the combination of their VLS merit scholarships, external scholarships, external tuition benefits, and CSS PROFILE-calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC).

We allocate Access2VLS grants to students in each entering 1L class who demonstrate tuition-need within the limit of Access2VLS funds available for that admission cycle. When the collective tuition-need of an entering class exceeds available funds, students are expected to meet a first amount of their individual tuition-need with loans, and those for whom total tuition-need exceeds that amount receive Access2VLS grant funding.¹

Access2VLS grants are provided only during the first-year J.D. admission process, and like VLS merit scholarships, they are allocated evenly across three academic years (six semesters) of full-time study at VLS.² This means that the level of Access2VLS need-based funding a student receives is not decreased by the student’s earnings during law school.